Christopher Hamm
Amplify EnergyAbout Christopher W. Hamm
Christopher W. Hamm, age 58 as of May 23, 2025, is Chairman of Amplify Energy’s Board and an independent director, having served on the Board since August 2019 (Lead Director from April 2020; Chairman since January 19, 2021). He is a career investor and financial executive with 34 years of experience, currently Chairman & CEO of Axys Capital (founded 2009) and CEO of Axys Data (founded 2001), with prior senior roles at CIBC Oppenheimer, PaineWebber, and Howard Weil. The Board has affirmatively determined Hamm is independent under NYSE standards .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amplify Energy Corp. | Chairman of the Board | Jan 19, 2021–present | Board leadership; independent oversight |
| Amplify Energy Corp. | Lead Director | Apr 2020–Jan 19, 2021 | Led executive sessions of non-management directors |
| Amplify Energy Corp. | Director | Aug 2019–present | Board member; prior director from inception (May 2017) to Aug 2019 merger with Midstates Petroleum |
| Axys Capital | Chairman & CEO | Since 2009 | Boutique investment bank/advisor/manager; finance expertise |
| Axys Data | CEO | Since 2001 | Fintech company; data/technology expertise |
| Memorial Investment Advisors & Memorial Funds | Founder; Chairman/CEO/CIO; President/CEO/Chairman | Prior to Axys | Registered investment advisor and multi-fund complex; institutional investment leadership |
| CIBC Oppenheimer | Executive Director – Institutional Services | Prior | Capital markets experience |
| PaineWebber | Senior Vice President – Capital Markets | Prior | Capital markets experience |
| Howard Weil Labouisse & Friederichs | Vice President – Taxable Fixed Income | Prior | Fixed income expertise |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axys Capital | Chairman & CEO | Since 2009 | Independent investment advisory/merchant banking platform |
| Axys Data | CEO | Since 2001 | Fintech/data platform leadership |
Board Governance
- Independence: Independent director under NYSE rules; Board annually confirms independence .
- Board leadership: Separate Chair and CEO; Hamm is Chair; Lead Independent Director appointed (Clint Coghill on May 16, 2025) .
- Executive sessions: Non-management directors meet regularly without management .
- Attendance: Board held 9 meetings in 2024; all directors then in office attended at least 75% of Board and committee meetings; all attended the 2024 Annual Meeting; directors expected to attend 2025 Annual Meeting .
| Committee | 2024 Members | 2024 Meetings | Expected post-2025 Annual Meeting Members | Chair (post-2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audit | Snyder (Chair), Douglas, Prasad | 4 | Snyder, Hamm, Adams | Snyder |
| Compensation | Craddock (Chair), Coghill, Snyder, Adams | 5 | Hamm, Coghill, Snyder, Adams | Hamm |
| Nominating & Governance | Adams (Chair), Douglas, Prasad, Craddock | 4 | Adams, Hamm, Snyder | Adams |
Governance safeguards
- Anti-hedging/anti-pledging: Company policy prohibits hedging and pledging by directors; exceptions require compliance approval .
- Ownership guidelines: Non-employee directors must hold shares equal to 4x annual cash retainer; five-year compliance window; all officers and non-employee directors are in or expected to be in compliance .
- Related-party oversight: Formal policy; Audit Committee reviews related-party transactions; none above $120,000 since January 1, 2024 (other than compensation) .
- Annual self-evaluation and ESG oversight by Nominating & Governance Committee .
Fixed Compensation
Director compensation policy (2024):
- Annual cash retainer: $75,000; Chairman: $175,000; Committee chair add’l cash: $25,000
- Equity: RSUs vesting over one year; grant-date fair value $125,000; Chairman: $175,000
| Metric | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fees Earned or Paid in Cash ($) | $175,000 | $175,000 |
| Stock Awards ($) | $175,000 | $185,008 |
| Total ($) | $350,000 | $360,008 |
Notes: 2024 amounts reflect Chairman retainer and one-year vesting RSUs; committee chair fee (additional $25,000) applies to chairs; Hamm will chair the Compensation Committee post-2025 meeting .
Performance Compensation
- Director equity structure: Annual RSU grants; time-vested over one year (no PSUs/options disclosed for directors) .
- Company-wide pay-for-performance context (oversight by Hamm as Compensation Committee Chair post-2025):
- 2024 annual incentive metrics (100% quantitative); weights and actual achievement drive executive payouts .
| Performance Metric | Threshold | Target | Maximum | Weight | Actual Achievement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported free cash flow ($MM) | $10.0 | $24.3 | $38.6 | 30% | 31.3% |
| Avg daily production (oil) (Mboe/d) | 6.8 | 8.5 | 10.2 | 20% | 19.1% |
| Avg daily production (gas/NGLs) (Mboe/d) | 9.2 | 11.5 | 13.7 | 5% | 4.7% |
| LOE & Capex ($MM) | $220.0 | $196.0 | $172.0 | 20% | 14.9% |
| Cash G&A ($MM) | $30.0 | $27.0 | $24.0 | 10% | 10.2% |
| ESG – TRIR (3-yr avg improvement) (#) | 1.9 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 5% | 7.2% |
| ESG – Spill rate (3-yr avg improvement) (#) | 33.0 | 22.0 | 11.0 | 5% | 7.1% |
| ESG – Strategy (%) | — | 5% | — | 5% | 5.0% |
Outcome: 2024 NEO payout at 99.5% of target plus 5.5% upward discretion for strong performance and strategic progress; governance touchpoints include clawback compliance and quantitative metric emphasis .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Committee roles | Interlocks/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed (public companies) | — | — | No public company directorships disclosed in Hamm’s bio |
| Private: Axys Capital; Axys Data | CEO/Chairman roles | — | Finance/fintech leadership; no related-party transactions reported with Amplify |
- Compensation Committee Interlocks: None; no insider participation; no reciprocal board/comp committee overlaps reported for executives .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Investment and capital markets leadership: Founder/CEO across investment advisory and fintech; senior capital markets roles; institutional services and fixed income expertise .
- Energy familiarity: Long service on Amplify’s Board; prior director role pre-merger; continuity and company familiarity .
- Governance credentials: Independent Chair; slated Compensation Committee Chair; member of Audit and Nominating & Governance post-2025 .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Common Shares | Unvested RSUs (vesting 7/1/2025) | Total Beneficial Ownership | % of Outstanding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher W. Hamm | 167,371 | 27,531 | 194,902 | ~0.48% of 40,336,579 shares outstanding |
- Ownership guidelines: 4x annual cash retainer; all directors in or expected to be in compliance within the five-year window .
- Hedging/pledging: Prohibited without authorization under Insider Trading Policy; no pledges disclosed .
Governance Assessment
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Strengths
- Independent Chair with deep investment/capital markets expertise; clear separation of Chair/CEO; Lead Independent Director adds oversight balance .
- Robust committee roles for Hamm post-2025 (Compensation Chair; member of Audit and Nominating & Governance), enhancing cross-functional governance coverage .
- Strong policy framework: anti-hedging/pledging, clawback policy compliant with SEC/NYSE, ownership guidelines for alignment, and annual board self-evaluations .
- No related-party transactions; no compensation committee interlocks; clean Section 16 compliance .
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Watch items / potential signals
- Board downsizing from eight to five directors concentrates influence; monitor committee bandwidth and refreshment effectiveness in 2025 .
- Investor Cooperation Agreement installing Lead Independent Director signals active investor engagement; generally positive for accountability but warrants ongoing monitoring of board dynamics .
- Director compensation grew modestly YoY (stock award $185k vs. $175k); ensure alignment with performance and market benchmarks, especially with Chair plus committee chair responsibilities .
-
Pay-for-performance oversight
- Compensation Committee moved to 100% quantitative annual metrics in 2024, increased FCF/LOE/Capex weighting, and applies TSR-capped PSUs, indicating disciplined incentive design under Board oversight .
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Overall: Governance posture appears investor-aligned with independent leadership, stringent policies, and disclosed metrics-based compensation oversight. Continued monitoring of board reduction impacts and activist-influenced governance is advisable .